Awful Announcing
How did the local NHL television booths stack up for the 2024-25 regular season? We asked Awful Announcing readers to evaluate each of the 32 teams’ local TV broadcasts. The results were these announcer rankings, based on more than 8,500 individual votes from over 800 respondents.
As with our local NBA announcer rankings, men’s college basketball announcer rankings (regular season and March Madness), NFL announcer rankings, college football announcer rankings, and more, each booth was graded from A to F. That came with readers providing comments on individual teams as well.
We then converted the letter grades from those responses to numerical grades, with A corresponding to 4 and F corresponding to 0, and ranked the booths accordingly. See also previous versions of these rankings from 2019-20 and 2015-16 (note that many of the booths have undergone significant changes since those last two years).
The average grade across the 30 booths was 2.61, corresponding to a C. This is significantly above the averages we’ve seen in other recent rankings, including 2.31 for local NBA announcers, 2.43 for NFL announcers, and 2.45 for CFB announcers. However, it’s close to the 2.58 for NFL/CFB rules analysts and below the 2.69 for regular-season men’s basketball announcers and 2.89 for men’s NCAA Tournament announcers.
The rankings for teams placed 17 through 32 are listed below in reverse order. The rankings for the top 16 teams are available on the second page here. Each entry lists the team with its primary play-by-play voice, followed by its primary analyst or analysts, and then notable substitute announcers, listed under “also” where applicable. (We tried to represent other substitute announcers people mentioned in the comments, where possible, as well.) You can use Control-F to find a particular team you’re interested in.
Let’s get to the grades and selected reader comments (sometimes lightly edited for spelling and grammar) without further ado. (We apologize for some screengrabs being far from perfect quality and some being missing. We strove for the best we could get, but some teams were difficult to get good/shots of. If readers have better ones to sub in for any particular booth, drop me a line.)
Most common grade: C (37.2% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 68.6%
This booth saw one of the most notable personnel shifts this season, with Sirott taking over for the retiring Jack Edwards. And while they wound up at the bottom of our rankings, their grade here was significantly higher than the 1.24 Edwards and Brickley received in 2020 (31st of 31 teams), and the 1.67 Edwards and Brickley got in 2016 (29th of 30).
The grade here was also higher than the lowest number in our recent rankings for local NBA announcers (the Golden State Warriors team of Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike with a 1.59) and NFL announcers (the EA Sports NFL Maddencast team of Paul Burmeister, Kurt Benkert, and Chad Johnson with a 1.40). And part of that is their high number of Cs (108 of 290 responses). However, their 37 Fs were the second-highest in this poll.
Most of the comments were about Sirott (who had previously been the Bruins’ radio play-by-play voice), and they were split. Several found him a step up from Edwards, with lines like “a huge upgrade,” “a major improvement,” “a breath of fresh air,” and “so much better.” But that came with some continued criticism, such as one noting his replacement of Edwards only upped the grade to a D.
And others found Sirott the less impressive half of this tandem. That included lines like “Brick gets an A, but Sirott is a very, very average C-” and “Brick is on top of it as always, a true pro, but Judd comes off as repetitive and too excitable. “One viewer even found him “just as insufferable if not worse than Jack Edwards.”
The individual comments on Brickley were generally positive. That included “fabulous” and “Love Brick,” although one found him “nails on a blackboard.” There were also multiple respondents who said this pair’s first year together was promising and something to build on. But the Bruins remain at the bottom of these rankings for now.
Most common grade: C (46.4% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 73.9%
This is a team that’s been together since the 2017-18 season, with Daunic working with Stu Grimson before that and Mason working on the radio side since 2015. Daunic and Grimson received a 1.90 in 2016 (26th of 30 teams), and Daunic and Mason earned a 1.63 in 2020 (26th of 31). Their 16 As (of 226 total votes) were the lowest, but their six Fs were the lowest of any team. So, while this pairing doesn’t have many devoted fans, they have very few people who outright hate them.
The comments saw a fair bit of praise for Mason. who’s also gained some national prominence as an ice-level analyst for TNT. Remarks on him included “a good analyst” and “last guy I’d expect to do colour, but he does a good job.”
One unusual compliment/criticism of Mason was “is knowledgeable but not enough of a homer compared to other markets.” Most of the comments on homerism across teams are negative, and another respondent found this team “very homerish,” with yet another saying, “Chris Mason can only tell viewers that goals against the Predators were unfortunate or the goaltender had no chance while far too many saves by Predators goaltenders are “incredible.” Tell us why and how plays happened, as opposed to describing via replays what we just saw.” But apparently, there wasn’t enough homerism for one figure here, which reinforces how individual announcing preferences can be.
As for Daunic, he received some significant accolades. Those included “a criminally underrated wordsmith,” “always brings high energy to the broadcast,” and “provides plenty of information and storylines.” One reader suggested he has “a lack of in-depth hockey knowledge,” though, with another saying he “knows nothing about hockey,” and another (who found this team the “worst in the league”) said he “sounds bored.”
Still, the overall comments were higher on this team than the numerical grade, including lines like “This duo kept up the enthusiasm despite team struggles” and “consistently been in the top 16 for NHL commentary.” The total votes here don’t support that, but this booth does have plenty of people who like them.
Most common grade: C (38.4% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 74.4%
This team saw some recent change, with Getzoff (who had previously worked in their radio booth) taking over as the lead play-by-play voice in 2023 and this trio of analysts also joining then. That followed a six-year run for Steve Mears on play-by-play and a 19-year-run for Bob Errey on analysis. Mears and Errey finished 30th of 31 teams in our 2020 rankings with a 1.48, while Paul Steigerwald and Errey placed 30th of 30 in 2016 with a 1.27. Thus, while the numerical grade for the newer booth is higher, the relative placement is similar.
In the comments, one of the most notable criticisms was for Armstrong. “Every time I hear Colby Armstrong, I wonder whether he is the inspiration for every Letterkenny joke making fun of hockey players. He rarely analyzes and mostly just reacts to the play like a fan watching from his living room.” One critic did find him “the most lively one of the bunch,” but that respondent also found the overall announcing lineup here “dull and boring and lifeless and utterly impersonal.” Other overall criticisms of this booth included ” too many tangents from the commentary on this specific team” and “Homers. And sure, all these crews are in the bag for their teams. But you can be in the bag and fair.”
Getzoff drew more individual kudos. That included “Replacing Mears with Getzoff is one of the best choices in Penguins broadcasting.” And there were some somewhat-positive comments overall as well, including “competent” and “the best.” But the general tone of the comments was in line with this group’s low ranking.
Most common grade: C (25.9% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 68.0%
This was one of the most polarizing teams in this survey. Their 69 C grades (out of 266) weren’t far ahead from their other results, including 46 As and 44 Fs.
Moser and Rycroft have been the Colorado TV color team on a full-time basis since November 2022 following the passing of Peter McNab, who had been the Avalanche’s TV analyst since the franchise moved to Denver in 1995. Rycroft had called Colorado games on a limited basis before that, while Moser had been the full-time TV play-by-play voice since 2018. Moser and McNab earned a 1.61 (27th of 31 teams) in 2020, while Mike Haynes and McNab earned a 1.82 (28th of 30 teams) in 2016.
The comments saw significant criticism for this booth, especially when it came to homerism. Some of that included “brutal bias,” “there’s bias, and then there’s Marc Moser,” “unreasonable homers,” and “they take homers to the next level.”
In individual comments, Moser drew fire like “an absolute pain to listen to,” “steps all over every moment,” and “doesn’t call play-by-play, would talk about random useless s***.” But others cited his “great level of energy” and praised Rycroft as well, with one A grader even saying, “I would give them an A+++, but it’s not a choice.” And they certainly provided one of the most memorable chew cup moments in sports broadcasting.
Most common grade: C (34.3% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 77.3%
The Devils’ broadcasters drew mostly middle-of-the-road grades. That included 95 Cs and 81 Bs out of 277 total votes. They also received 38 As and only 24 Fs. Previously, Daneyko and Steve Cangialosi received a 1.75 (23rd of 31 teams) in 2020 and a 2.01 (22nd of 30 teams) in 2016.
In the comments, many commended Spaulding. That included “an underrated PBP man,” “a fresh young voice,” an excellent replacement for Steve Cangialosi,” “really great,” and “doing very well.” Daneyko was more polarizing, drawing lines such as “shines as Mr Devil” but also “terrible, trite and hard to listen to” and ” always defends the Devils like he has a gun to his head even if the dumbest thing possible happens.”
Elsewhere, Salvador drew high praise on the games he worked. That saw lines like “one of the greatest analysts in explaining plays.” But several criticized Herzog, with one calling her a “huge downgrade” from predecessor Erika Wachter. One respondent said her background as a former college player is an asset, though: “She brings a different perspective, and she will grow into the role.”
Most common grade: C (33.3% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 77.4%
Utah is the NHL’s most recently established team, having come into existence ahead of this season. While the franchise acquired the hockey assets of the former Arizona Coyotes, it is considered an expansion team, similar to how the NFL handled the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens’ move but different from most NHL relocations.
This team’s broadcast booth is also a bit of a mix of the old and the new. That includes McConnell moving over from Arizona (where he’d been the lead TV voice since 2011) but Moore taking on his first team-specific role (he’d previously worked nationally for NBC and ESPN). Substitute analyst Olczyk, son of TNT and Seattle Kraken broadcaster Eddie Olczyk had previously worked in the ECHL and for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Kraken.
The votes here saw almost as many Bs (83 out of 252 votes) as Cs (84) and only 15 Fs. But this booth only got 28 As, keeping them from rising further.
McConnell drew particular raves in the comments. That included “If not for the great McConnell, this is a D or F,” “play-by-play is spot on,” “sick” (on a B, so presumably in a positive way), and “did a good job considering their hearts are still in Arizona.”
Moore got some positive comments, including “a most underrated analyst,” but also some criticism, including “a clown who yaps the whole time about stuff he doesn’t even know.” Olczyk was generally well-received in his fill-in role, with lines including “a much better analyst than Moore” and “an up-and-coming broadcaster,” and the group as a whole earned praise for “great chemistry.”
One area that drew repeated comment here was the way this broadcast focused on appealing to those new to hockey, which likely has some relation to their local broadcasts coming on over-the-air independent (Scripps-owned) station KUPX (as well as a direct-to-consumer streaming service). That took some praise (” welcoming approach”), but also some criticism (“spend a lot of time talking about very basic rules”). Overall, though, the most common sentiments were along the lines of “will probably improve with time.”
Most common grade: B (31.2% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 75.9%
We have our first most common B grade for this year’s rankings. And it’s for a somewhat new broadcast booth: while Shelley has been the Blue Jackets’ lead analyst since 2014-15, Mears (who previously called Penguins’ games from 2017-2023) is in his first year with Columbus, replacing retiring play-by-play voice Jeff Rimer. (Also, we didn’t catch it in time to note in the poll, but John Davidson also provided analysis on some Blue Jackets’ telecasts, especially when Shelley was away working for Prime Video’s Canadian Monday Night Hockey coverage.) Rimer and Shelley received a 1.69 (25th of 31 teams) in 2020 and a 1.96 (24th of 30) in 2016.
In the comments, Shelley received notable plaudits. Some lines there included “one of the great analysts” and “one of the best analysts out there.” And one respondent predicted he “will eventually leave for a full-time national gig.”
For Mears, the mix was more split. He took a fair bit of criticism, including “His knowledge is there, but his goal calls are not good, and he lacks enthusiasm” and “a studio host, not a play-by-play person.” Some also noted their dislike of him from national calls for TNT, especially several remote playoff broadcasts. But he also drew praise, including “surprisingly good energy” (on a comment praising him over Rimer) and “rock solid on fundamentals.”
Most common grade: C (34.8% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 79.8%
The Wild broadcasters wound up ahead of the Blue Jackets team despite that most common B grade and a large part of that was about their high percentage of A, B, and C grades. They also received almost as many Bs (85) as Cs (89). LaPanta has been the team’s main play-by-play broadcaster since 2012-13, earning a 1.59 (28th of 31 teams) in 2020 with primarily Mike Greenlay (but also Walz, Carter, and Nanne) and a 1.87 (27th of 30) in 2016.
Each of these figures received positive and negative comments. For LaPanta, those included “criminally underrated” and “solid,” but also “terrible,” “arrogant know-it-all,” “one of the worst announcers in the league,” and “such a clown.”
Some respondents wished Walz got more games. That included lines such as “If Walz is full-time, they’re a B+” (on a C grade). But others thought Carter should get more play (“so good this year,” “easily the best analyst,” “the most enjoyable of the three”). However, another respondent found Carter “dreadful.” Overall, the broadcast saw a fair bit of reactions like “meh,” which seems to fit with their placing.
Most common grade: B (23.4% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 70.5%
This grade comes with a bit of an asterisk due to an unfortunate error on our end with the voting form, which meant that the radio buttons to vote for this booth wound up as a comments form instead. But thanks to thoughtful readers who figured that out and left letter grades in there, we still have useable results here.
We went through and counted both the sole letter grades and letter grades as part of extended comments, plus one letter grade left in the actual comments column. The distribution fits pretty well with the comments (there are some negative comments that did not come with letter grades, so they’re not counted but will be referenced below), so the results here seem reasonable. However, this did mean that there were far less votes for this team (78) than any other team, so there’s a small sample size caveat here.
In the comments, many had notable compliments for Tracy, who has been calling Hurricanes’ games since 1998-99. That included “gives great insight to the game and is a little goofy as well,” “has always been a fun listen,” and “has a deep well of knowledge and is so well-connected.” But one respondent who praised his knowledge said he sometimes can “get carried away with personal stories and relationships” and asked for him to “stick to the game.” And other commenters significantly disliked him, with lines such as “too often comes across as frivolous,” “grating,” and even “possibly the worst in the league.”
On the play-by-play side, Maniscalco took over for John Forslund ahead of the 2020-21 season. Forslund would sign on with the Seattle Kraken ahead of their debut season in 2021-22. He and Tracy placed sixth in our 2020 rankings with a 2.80, and fifth in our 2016 ones with a 2.98.
Many of the commenters here preferred Forslund to Maniscalco, with remarks like “what a clear downgrade,” “they dropped the ball when they let Forslund go,” and “still feeling the loss of Forslund.” However, Maniscalco drew some individual praise, including “has come a long way as a play-by-play guy, his chemistry with Tripp is great.” And the overall duo drew some praise, with one notable element there being praise for their ability to be fair when called for. That included lines like “Great chemistry and passion for the team but objective when needed.”
Most common grade: C (45.3% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 86.4%
This group edged the Hurricanes thanks to a 2.322 mark versus a 2.321. And while we’re back into most common Cs here, this booth rose above the ones below them thanks to that high percentage of A/B/C grades.
This is a big jump for Ahlers and Hayward (who have been calling these broadcasts together for decades, with Hayward calling the team’s games since their 1993 beginnings and Ahlers replacing original play-by-play voice Chris Madsen in 2002) from the last time we did this, as they placed 29th in 2020 with a 1.56. However, 2016 saw them place 19th, albeit with a 2.12.
In the comments, Ahlers received regard for both this role and his work calling national NHL radio broadcasts for Sports USA Radio Network. One notable line on him was “super underrated.” But others said he “often gets opponents’ names wrong” and “messes up names even for Ducks’ players.” Hayward took harsher individual criticism still, including “insufferable blowhard,” “terrible,” and “treads into the territory of complaining too much about refs and accusing opposing players of more maliciousness than they actually intend,” but some noted they’ve always liked him.
Overall, this booth received some positive comments. That included “The best! Fair and competent analysis,” “good chemistry,” and “good energy.” But they had their overall critics as well, including “boring like their goal horn” and “not overly exciting.”
Most common grade: B (40.1% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 87.2%
This duo has been working together for a long time overall, but they’ve only been in this specific pairing recently. Ray started as the Sabres’ rinkside reporter on MSG broadcasts in 2003-04, then was elevated to lead analyst in 2012-13, replacing Harry Neale. Dunleavy started backup play-by-play work there (behind the legendary Rick Jeanneret) the next season, then took over the primary role in 2022-23. Jeanneret, Dunleavy, and Ray drew a 2.39 (14th of 31 teams) in 2020, while Jeanneret and Ray earned a 2.68 (10th of 30) in 2016. (Martin Biron also serves as an analyst on some broadcasts when he’s not in studio.) This team drew 28 A votes (out of 274) and 13 Fs.
Commenters had praise and criticism for both of these figures. For Dunleavy, a lot of the criticism was in contrast to Jeanneret, including “I miss Rick Jeanneret,” “hard to replace a legend,” and “impossible to replace RJ, but this isn’t the answer. Boring play-by-play with an enforcer analyst.” However, he also earned positive lines from “good” to “great.”
For Ray, many particularly cited his battling through taking a puck to the face in February. (Remarkably, that’s at least the second time that’s happened to him on a broadcast, which maybe led to his one-game stunt of broadcasting from the nosebleeds afterward.) That saw lines such as “How can you not vote for someone who take a puck to the face, gets stitched up, and then [is] back rinkside doing color analysis?” and “Rob Ray getting hit in the face and then sitting in the top row the next game makes this an automatic A.”
Buffalo Sabres color commentator Rob Ray took a puck to the face, and he made it loud and clear when he got hit. 🏒🎙️🤬🤕pic.twitter.com/NgYa5z96a3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 23, 2025
Ray also drew other praise, such as “beauty” and “such a gem.” But some said he “brings nothing” and is predictable: “Take a shot drinking game every time Rob Ray says the phrase ‘a little bit,’ and you’ll be drunk by the first intermission.” Overall, many found the broadcast “stale” or “boring,” but also noted that the team’s struggles (a 36-39-7 record, 14th of 16 Eastern Conference teams) factored into that.
Most common grade: B (35.6% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 85.4%
Sawyer has been calling Jets’ games since the 2018-19 season, with Robertson joining him (replacing Dennis Beyak) ahead of the 2022-23 season. Beyak and Sawyer (with Ray Ferraro also as an analyst for some games) earned a 2.40 in 2020 (13th of 31 teams). This booth drew one more B vote (85 of 239) than C.
In the comments, several people noted that they miss Beyak. However, Robertson drew praise of his own, including “really improved during this season” and “knows his stuff and is very enjoyable to listen to.” The tandem received significant positive recognition, including “reliable team offering thorough and engaging broadcasts” and “the most underrated booth in the league.”
Overall, though, the comments were more positive than the grades. This team placed where they did, thanks to a lot of C, D, and F grades without comments.
Most common grade: B (30.1% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 78.4%
Hnidy’s new booth comes in here just ahead of his old one in Winnipeg, where he worked from their 2011 return to that city through the 2016-17 season. He and Goucher have been working together since the Golden Knights’ inaugural season in 2017-18, and they earned a 2.26 (16th of 31 teams) in 2020. They received quite a few As (64 of 259 votes), but also 61 Cs, 27 Ds, and 29 Fs.
Both halves of this booth received strong individual plaudits. That included “Goucher is my favorite local play-by-play [voice]. His way of calling a game keeps you on the edge of your seat, and he has the ability to rise and fall” and “Hnidy the best at ice level.” Hindy also received lines like “excellent at analysis and breaking down plays in terms that are easy to understand,” while Goucher earned “the perfect hire for play-by-play for this team.”
There were still critics, though. One wrote, “Goucher is horrible at announcing and should go drive a truck or something. He definitely spends all his time at the casinos,” while another called Hnidy “a douche.” But the general commentary sentiment was positive.
Most common grade: B (33.5% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 85.0%
Nickson, who announced in the fall he’d retire after this season, has been calling Kings’ games in some fashion since 1981. He started with Bob Miller on a joint TV-radio broadcast, serving mostly as a color analyst, then took the play-by-play reins on the radio side when those were split in 1990. When the broadcasts were again merged ahead of the 2023-24 season, TV play-by-play voice Alex Faust was let go, and Nickson took over the joint call. Meanwhile, Fox has been the Kings’ main TV analyst since 1990, shortly after his retirement as a player.
Faust and Fox drew a 2.43 (11th of 31 teams) in 2020, while Miller and Fox (with Nickson as a substitute play-by-play voice) earned a 3.26 (tops of 30 teams) in 2016. Thus, this is quite a ways from where the Kings have been in these polls. And this booth only received one more B (87 of 260) than C.
The comments saw lots of questioning of the decision to merge those TV and radio broadcasts and part ways with Faust. Some of that included “Shouldn’t have got rid of Alex Faust. He’s A-level,” “I miss Alex Faust,” and “Fox is still great. Nickson is a legend but better suited for radio.”
But many expressed appreciation for Nickson as well, including “Like Bob Miller, Nick Nickson will be a Hall-of-Famer after he retires this year,” “Nickson was awesome, I’m going to miss him,” and “Still calls a good game. He’ll be missed.” Several liked his work with Fox, including “Two absolute legends who are great at what they do and who seem to take great honor in carrying the torch of the long history of world-class sports on-air talent in LA” and “Nick and Jim are both treasures in LA.” Fox took some individual criticism of his own, including “the ultimate homer,” but many people liked what this booth did.
Most common grade: B (32.0% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 80.5%
The defending Stanley Cup champions have another well-established booth, with Goldstein and Moller together in these roles since 2019. Moller had previously been the team’s radio play-by-play voice from 2007-2015, and had served as a host and between-the-benches analyst on the TV side since 2014 (with Denis Potvin in the main analyst role), while Goldstein has been calling Panthers’ TV play-by-play since 2007. Goldstein and Moller drew a 1.69 in 2020 (24th of 31 teams) and a 1.98 in 2016 (23rd of 30 teams). This time around, they received 62 As of 272 votes.
While the numerical grades left them in the middle of the pack, the comments on this team were highly positive. There was some criticism of homerism, but it was in the minority. Some of the favorable comments included “Love Goldie’s endless energy,” “always energetic, accurate, and fair about the other team,” and “quality, consistent broadcasting.” One respondent wrote “They are universally beloved by Panthers’ fans. They have been with the team through thick and thin. They are as much a part of the team as [Aleksander] Barkov and [Matthew] Tkachuk.”
Most common grade: B (43.7% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 89.7%
This broadcast booth saw some tragedy this year, as Millen (who mostly worked games when Hrudey was working nationally) passed away at 67 just before the end of the season. That led to Sportsnet picking up the Sharks’ local broadcast for the next game. There also was change before this season, with Rick Ball leaving for the Chicago Blackhawks and Abbott (who had previously worked in a variety of roles on NHL broadcasts in Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa, as well as called junior hockey) stepping in. Ball and Hrudey (also Cassie Campbell-Pascall) drew a 2.09 in 2020 (18th of 31 teams), and that duo drew a 2.45 (13th of 30 teams) in 2016.
The comments here saw a lot of tributes to Millen, including “an awesome analyst” and “very good.” Many of the other comments focused on the shift from Ball to Abbott, with several noting Ball’s shoes as big ones to fill. That saw lines like “Abbott got better as the season went along…his and Hrudey’s chemistry got better and was more fun to listen to down the stretch” and “Jon’s really improved over the last few years.” But some still found him “worse than Ball.”
Hrudey, a well-established national voice, drew a decent amount of overall praise. That included “I really like Kelly Hrudey.” But one respondent who liked his national work said he “intentionally says pro-Calgary things close to 80% of the time when calling games.” Overall, though, the comments here were pretty positive, including “very enjoyable broadcast.”
Most common grade: B (43.7% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 89.7%
Kelly, son of early Blues’ TV voice Dan Kelly, has been the team’s full-time TV play-by-play voice since 2005. He first appeared in their booth in 1988 for one game alongside his father, then called games for them from 1989-92 (alternating play-by-play and analysis with Ken Wilson period by period) before leaving for roles with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche and then returning to St. Louis ahead of the 2005-06 season.
Rivers became the full-time analyst here ahead of the 2023 season when Pang left for the Chicago Blackhawks. He’d previously worked as a Blues’ studio host and substitute analyst. Kelly and Darren Pang received a 2.98 (second of 31 teams) in 2020, while Kelly, Pang and substitute analyst Bernie Federko received a 2.99 (fourth of 30 teams) in 2016. Thus, this is a notable drop for this crew. They only received 11 Fs (of 251 votes), but did get a lot of Bs (87) and Cs (76).
In the comments, though, some said they liked Rivers over Pang. Accolades for him included “the most improved color this year and an incredible upgrade from Darren Pang” and ” solid and getting better.” However, that opinion was far from universal, with one respondent noting that they prefer Pang even amidst Rivers’ improvement, and another adding,, “Would be an A if Panger was still with the team” (on a B grade).
For Kelly, the praise was more unanimous. That included “a Hall of Fame announcer,” “gives good energy to the broadcast,” “has always been great,” and “just so good.” One neutral fan also praised this booth as a “top six commentary duo.” But their numerical grades weren’t as high as that this time around.
Read on for teams 15-1!
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.
Viewers were confused…and annoyed.
Meadowlark Media
“Good God…”
“I’ve never been in so much pain in my life.”
“Sucks they have to listen to 2 guys who know nothing about basketball talk about basketball!”
“Get the hell in front of a microphone and camera and answer questions. Stop being a coward.”
Viewers were confused…and annoyed.
Meadowlark Media
“Good God…”
“I’ve never been in so much pain in my life.”
“Sucks they have to listen to 2 guys who know nothing about basketball talk about basketball!”
“Get the hell in front of a microphone and camera and answer questions. Stop being a coward.”
